The Four Heavenly Kings
by Agent 49
Summary: Naofumi, Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki. Four young men chosen by fate to become the heroes of the world. Though they're not alone. Together with the previous wielders of their weapons and with the help of each other, they will carve a path as the new four heavenly kings!
1. Chapter 1

**The Four Heavenly Kings**

**Prologue**

**The four kings and the four heroes.**

"_Long ago, in the land of Japan, there existed four individuals. A young courtesan, a samurai's apprentice, an archer, and a scholar. Though they each lived different lives, they were all connected by fate to something much bigger than their own world."_

These were the first lines of the book _The Four Heavenly Kings_ The first in the line of a book series written by Tatsuya Suzuki, which was one of the most popular in the world. Or rather, worlds.

There were multiple timelines, some of which wildly differed from one another, but each one of them had one thing in common: this book series. Part of this was due to the series biggest secret: The events that were portrayed in the book were nonfictional. The author Tatsuya Suzuki was rather a pseudonym used by the authors of the book, the kings themselves.

The books told the story of the king's adventures in a land of magic, which was threatened by waves of calamity. Each king had a weapon, a sword, a spear, a bow, and a shield. While they couldn't travel together, the four kings always kept in touch through their weapons, which would allow the kings to communicate with each other.

Currently, four young men in alternate worlds were reading the first book of the series, unaware of the fact that they would begin the adventure that was described in the books.

…

A young man was busy reading the book in his local library. He had shaggy black hair and handsome features, with emerald green eyes and wearing a hoodie as green as them. His name was Naofumi Iwatani.

Naofumi was what one would call an Otaku, a man who liked to divulge his time in anime and video games. Though he did have one constant love: _The Four Heavenly Kings_ book series. He had eaten up all the media involved in the series, including the game based on the books, _Last Odyssey_, as well as the anime based on the game. He loved all the characters, though his favorite would have to be Ichika Sato, the Shield Hero, who constantly defended his comrades to the bitter end, despite having no powers. He was a true hero, a man Naofumi liked to admire.

Naofumi looked up at the clock and realized it was about 8 at night. "_Oh crap, I stayed too long! I need to get back home, my parents are probably worried sick about me!_" Naofumi then rushed towards the exit of the library, though in his rush, he bumped into a mysterious young man with the same eye color as him, but with his black hair in a bowl cut, and he was wearing coke bottle glasses and a business suit, causing both to tumble over.

"Ow…" Naofumi then saw that he was on top of the young man, his glasses off to the side "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir!" He apologized to the man.

"Think nothing of it," the man replied as Naofumi helped him up and he retrieved his glasses. He then put his hand on his chin in thought "Actually, I do suppose I could use your help."

"Huh?"

"I'm actually looking for a book to read, do you know of any novels that might suit my fancy?" The man asked Naofumi.

"Look, I don't think I can help you, I don't even work here." Naofumi said as he raised his hands in protest.

"Nonsense, I can tell just by looking at you that you'd give me a great recommendation." The man then held Naofumi's hands "Would you please help me?"

"Eh, fine." Naofumi shrugged as he led the man to the fantasy section. "I personally enjoy these types of books, the ones involving magic and monsters and adventurers." He then showed him the _Four Heavenly Kings._ "This is personally my favorite book, it's _The Four Heavenly Kings_, ever heard of it?"

"Oh yes, I most certainly have." The man smiled, almost as if the book series brought fond remembrance. "Well, you mind helping me search, I already own a great number of books."

"OK," Naofumi then helped the man search for a book he could read. Though this proved to be a daunting task, as each book they came across, the man either said he already read or owned.

"_What the hell?!"_ Naofumi thought in disbelief "_We're nearly through the section, and this guy's read them all?! How much time does he have on his hands?!"_

Naofumi's eyes then landed on a book, one whose title he was all familiar with.

_"**The Record of the Four Holy Weapons?**_ _That sounds like the book that summoned the four heavenly kings to that world!"_ Naofumi, out of curiosity, picked up the book and inspected it. The author's name was nowhere to be found, which confused him even further. He then shrugged and began to read it.

The book detailed a world that had been heavily bombarded by waves of calamity, which threatened to destroy the world. To stop this, four heroes would be summoned from other worlds, each one wielding a different weapon: A spear, a sword, a bow, and a shield.

"_Definitely sounds like the book that summoned the heroes. Maybe this is a tie-in to the book series?" _ Naofumi then read further.

The shield hero faced peril from the princess, who would try to toadie up to him, but would betray him at a moment's notice. The spear hero had a champion who seeked the ultimate challenge and would fight him constantly again and again. The sword hero had a bandit who would steal everything precious from him, and the bow hero had a noble who had put a price on his head for the death of his brother. The spear hero seemed to be rather thoughtful and trusted his friends, while the sword hero was rather dashing, and the bow hero was Robin Hood-esque, working to take down corrupt nobles and helping the poor.

"_Sounds different from the real book, is this book plagiarizing **The Four Heavenly Kings?**_" Naofumi then got to the section on the shield hero but found that the book was blank from there on. Turning the pages to see if there was any mention of the hero, Naofumi suddenly found himself feeling drowsy.

"What's…happening?" He said before he lost consciousness, the last thing he heard was the man's voice.

"Hope you have fun on your grand adventure, my friend!"

…

Motoyasu Kitamura was what you would call a lady's man. He was a young man whose handsome features helped him attract women, with ruby red eyes which complimented his red jacket, and long blonde hair in a ponytail. He was in the middle of reading _The Four Heavenly Kings _in his apartment, when he was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.

"_Who could that be?_" Thought Motoyasu as he opened the door. Suddenly, his mind went blank. In front of him was an indescribably beautiful woman, with long brown hair and red eyes and wearing a white dress and carrying a brown purse. She was quite possibly the most beautiful person Motoyasu had seen in his whole life. However, there was also a silent grace with which added to her charm, something Motoyasu had read about in Hitomi Takahashi, the spear hero of the four kings.

"Hello, do you mind that I come in?" Asked the woman.

Suddenly, Motoyasu's brain booted back on. "Of course not! Not at all!" He said with a smile as the woman walked in.

"Thanks. Do you have anything to drink?" The woman asked as she sat on the couch.

"Just bottled water," Said Motoyasu, going to the fridge and getting a bottle for him and the woman to drink. The woman looked around the apartment and spotted the book Motoyasu had been reading. _"The Four Heavenly Kings_, huh? That book brings back memories."

"You a fan?" Motoyasu asked the woman as he returned with the bottled waters.

"You could say that." The woman shrugged.

"I also play_ Emerald Online_, you know, the game based on the books?" Motoyasu said as he opened the cabinet to look for some snacks for them to enjoy.

"Really? That's cool." The woman then opened her purse "I actually have a book that I've been reading which I think you might be interested in if you like that series so much."

"Oh really?" Motoyasu then sat on the couch and took the book the woman had offered him.

"_The Record of the Four Holy Weapons? _Isn't this the book mentioned in _The Four Heavenly Kings?_"

"Just read it," the woman told Motoyasu "you might like it."

"OK," Motoyasu shrugged as he read through the thing. To be honest, he didn't like the idea of reading a potential knock-off of the series he loved, but he couldn't refuse the offer from a pretty woman. Though what made him sad was what befell the shield hero. Framed for a crime he didn't commit, he wandered the kingdom, angry and distrustful.

"_Poor guy, wish someone would be kind to him at least once._" Once Motoyasu reached the section on the Spear Hero though, he felt sleepy all of a sudden.

"_Why am I so tired?"_ Thought Motoyasu as his head fell into the lap of the woman. While he would normally be filled with glee at this moment, he was too tired to care. Before losing consciousness, he heard the woman's voice.

"You will do many great things, oh chosen hero."

…

Ren Amaki was sitting in the police station, about to give a statement on what happened earlier that day.

He had been walking home with his best friend Takumi, when a man came out of an alley and tried to stab Takumi. Ren intended to stop the man, but before he could, a man he had never seen before hit the man in the back of the head and knocked him out cold.

Said man was sitting across from him in the police waiting room, having gotten back from giving his statement. He had a diagonal scar on his face, as well as blue eyes and brown hair tied into a messy ponytail. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans, as well as sneakers.

"_That scar makes him look like Eiji Watanabe."_ Ren thought, his mind thinking of the sword hero of the four kings.

"Hey, what are you reading?" The man asked Ren.

"Hm? Oh, it's the _The four Heavenly Kings_, I'm a big fan."

"Oh really? Haven't read that book in a long time." The man replied. "You also play that VR game they made from it? What was it called again?"

"_Bravestar Online, _and yes, I play it, although I mostly solo." Ren said, causing the man to frown.

"Hey, kid, you shouldn't rely on yourself the whole time." The man put his hand on Ren's shoulder "There will come times where you'll have to work with others, and others want your help too. Just remember that we're all in this together."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Ren said nonchalantly.

"You better," the man said before reaching into his hoodie pocket and pulling out a book. "I actually was reading this before I stopped the guy from stabbing your friend. You wanna look at it?"

"Hm? Fine." Ren then took the book and raised a brow at its title.

"**_The Record of the Four Holy Weapons?_**_ That's the book that transported the four kings to that world."_ Ren shrugged and began to read. He liked the two other heroes but felt sorry for the Shield Hero. When he reached the section on the sword hero, however, he began to feel tired. Suddenly, without control, he found himself flopping down on the floor, about to pass out.

He would never forget the words the man had said to him.

"Remember what I said about working with others, kid!"

…

Itsuki Kawasumi was a boy with little friends. Though he had features that others would find desirable, such as a boyish face with curly permed hair, and yellow eyes that matched his private school uniform, he had the unfortunate luck to be born as an E class esper, and as a result, he was often bullied and lacked friends. He just wished that he would wind up where people would admire him and respect him. That way, he'd wind up with a lot of friends, and he'd finally be happy.

Right now, he was reading _The Four Heavenly Kings_, and was so busy focusing on a chapter that was all about Aiko Yamamoto, the bow hero, that he didn't notice the truck barreling towards him. However, before the truck could hit him, he was pulled out of its way. Looking up to the woman who had saved his life, Itsuki saw a young woman with yellow eyes and shoulder length brown hair, wearing a black business suit.

"Hey, you OK?" The woman asked Itsuki.

"You saved my life" Itsuki managed to say through gasps of air "thanks."

"Hey, don't mention it, just pay attention next time, OK?" She let go of Itsuki, then looked at his book. "You must really love that book to not pay attention to where you're walking."

"Yeah, It's one of my favorites."

"Hey, if it's _The Four Heavenly Kings_, then I understand completely." The woman said as he laughed. "That book brings back memories of happy times to me. I also tend to play a little bit of _Dimension Wave,_ though my favorite hero in both versions of the story has got to be Aiko Yamamoto."

"Really, she's mine too!" Itsuki said, "She's so brave and always looking out for the little guy! I wanna be a hero of justice, just like her!"

"Is that so?" The woman said, putting a hand on Itsuki's shoulder. "Remember kid, heroes of justice don't do crap like that to receive praise. They do it because it's the right thing to do."

"But, if I become someone like her, then maybe people would finally treat me with a little bit of respect."

"Look, I get wanting to be respected, but you can't do things for selfish reasons. That's not a hero, that's a glory hound."

Itsuki then began to think about what the woman was saying to him. While he did want respect, Aiko always did things without looking for admiration. She did things because the people needed help.

"Anyway, I myself am reading a book based on the book series." She then pulled out a book from her pocket and gave it to Itsuki "It's called _The Record of the Four Holy weapons_, and before you ask, yes, it's based on the text that the four heroes found."

"Really?" Itsuki asked before taking the book and reading it. While he was reading about the book, he came across the four other heroes, the shield hero in particular struck out at him, having been accused of a crime he didn't commit. If he wanted to be a hero of justice, he would need to stand up for people like him.

He then reached the section on the Bow Hero, which was blank. Curious, he flipped the pages back and forth, and then he suddenly felt tired beyond all belief. He then toppled over onto the concrete of the sidewalk.

Before the darkness overtook him, he heard the woman speak to him.

"If you wanna be like me, you'd best not think of yourself."

…

Somewhere, in an enclosed space, the man Naofumi helped suddenly appeared. Then came the woman Motoyasu met, the man Ren talked to in the police station, and the woman who saved Itsuki.

"So, do we have all of our successors?" Asked the glasses wearing man.

"We've gathered all of them, Ichika." Replied the red-eyed woman.

"Though for all of them to be gathered in one place" the man with the scar, said "They should be scattered, like we were."

"Maybe somebody wants to hog all the heroes to themselves? What do you think Hitomi?" asked the yellow-eyed woman.

"I think somebody is going against the natural wishes of the populace." Said Hitomi.

"Dammit, it shouldn't be like this!" The scarred man slammed his fist on the wall. "If Melromarc keeps all the heroes for themselves, then the world will be in danger!"

"Settle down Eiji," Hitomi then put her hands on the shoulder of Eiji, calming him down. "Anyway, what should we do, Ichika?"

"I propose we all go down and join the parties of our successors. That way we will nurture them and let them grow to become greater heroes than we ever were." Ichika proposed.

"I'm all for that," said the yellow-eyedwo man.

"I agree with Aiko." replied Hitomi.

"I as well" remarked Eiji.

"Very well then, it's decided." Suddenly, the four were bathed in light, and disappeared from the room, leaving nary a trace of them.

…

Naofumi, Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu suddenly found themselves waking up. They found themselves in a room with a stone floor which had on it a magic circle, glowing with magical power. Getting up, they looked around and spotted men in robes, who looked like monks belonging to a religious order.

"It worked!" One of the men remarked. He then took his hood off, revealing a man with brown hair and brown eyes. "Oh brave heroes, please save our world!"

"What?!"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Four Heavenly Kings**

**Chapter one**

**The Fated Encounter.**

"What?!" After saying this, the four young men then took notice of the weapons they were holding. Naofumi was holding a silver shield with a green gem in the center, Motoyasu had a silver spear with a red gem, Itsuki had a silver bow with a yellow gem, and Ren had a silver sword with a blue gem. The four young men's eyes widened when they saw the gems, these were the gems that were on the weapons of the four heavenly kings!

"I know it's rather abrupt to ask this of you, but you four are the cardinal heroes of legend. We completed an ancient ritual designed to summon you here, and it worked! So we beg of you, please save our world!"

"_Summon us here?"_ Naofumi thought incredulously "_This has gotta be a prank, right?" _Regardless if it was, he figured that it would be better to hear them out rather than get on their bad side.

Motoyasu however…had different ideas

"Hey! Could you send us back please?!" He yelled in a panic "I was busy talking to the most beautiful girl I had ever met when you just up and brought me here! What's up with that?!"

"I agree with him." Ren nodded "I have parents who are probably worried sick that I'm not home yet."

"Me too," Itsuki added "My parents are probably freaking out, wondering where I am."

"_Crap, they're right!"_ Naofumi thought, "_I have parents and a little brother waiting for me at home, and I already stayed too long at the library!"_

"Rest assured, you'll be brought back once this is all over, but first, you must have an audience with the king. I will lead you to the throne room, so please, follow me."

"Fine, we'll go see your king," Ren said, "If it means we can get home faster, the better."

Soon, all four heroes were walking up the stairs to the throne room. As they were walking, they passed by several windows, showing a glimpse of a town that looked like it came straight out of medieval Europe. With that and the clear blue sky, the scenery was quite breathtaking.

They soon reached a huge set of double doors, the kind which took multiple men to open. This could only be the throne room. The doors soon opened, and all four young men entered. At the far end of the room, sitting on the throne was a person who could only be the king the robed men mentioned. With his extravagant purple robe, jeweled crown, and with long hair and a beard, he certainly looked like a king.

"So, these kids are the four heroes, eh?" He said with some condescension in his voice, which made all four heroes flinch. "This is the land of Melromarc and I am its king, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, raise your heads, heroes."

At the mention of the name Melromarc, all the heroes began to internally panic. Melromarc was one of the countries mentioned in _The Four Heavenly Kings!_ Did they somehow end up in the world based on the books?

"Now, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Calming down a bit, Ren stepped forward, "Guess, I'll go first. My name's Ren Amaki, I'm 16 years old and still in high school.

Motoyasu Kitamura, college student, 21."

"Guess I'm next. Name's Itsuki Kawasumi, 17 years old and a high schooler.

"Now then, Ren, Itsuki, Motoyasu…"

"Hey, you forgot about me!" Naofumi pointed to himself.

"Hm? Oh yes, the Shield Hero, I apologize."

"Hey, that's fine. Name's Naofumi Iwatani, 20 years old and a college student."

"Now, I suppose I should explain why I brought you here," Aultcray said, completely ignoring Naofumi, surprising the youth. "This country, nay, the entire world is on the brink of total annihilation."

Aultcray then began to explain the calamity befalling his realm. Apparently, they were being besieged by waves of destruction, which would ravage the land until nothing remained, which were outlined in a prophecy from long ago.

It all began about a month ago, when the sands of the Dragon Hourglass started to fall, though most people mocked it all as superstition. That is, until the waves came. Giant fissures opened in the sky, and monsters crawled out of them in great and terrifying numbers.

Although the wave was repelled by many brave knights and adventurers, many had lost their lives, and the next wave was prophesized to be even more terrible.

"The next wave should occur in less than a month, that is why we have summoned you here." Aultcray explained to the four heroes.

The heroes were deep in thought. The Dragon hourglass, the waves, the way the weapons translated the language the king was speaking into Japanese, everything about this place, it was definitely the world of _The Four Heavenly Kings!_ Somehow reading the books had sent them to this place. But how?

They then remembered, those strangers and what they said before they lost consciousness. They had something to do with this, but what?

"If you're wondering about what's in it for you, then worry not. You will be compensated for fighting the waves, now, if you would open your statuses."

That's right, in the book the four kings each had a status menu, which they activated by focusing on an icon in their peripheral vision. Looking down, they noticed what could only be the icon and focused on that. Suddenly, a status menu, one that wouldn't be out of place in a video game appeared.

**Naofumi Iwatani/Ren Amaki/Motoyasu Kitamura/Itsuki Kawasumi**

**Class: Shield Hero/Sword Hero/Spear Hero/Bow Hero Lv1**

**Equipment: Legendary Shield/Legendary Sword/Legendary Spear/Legendary Bow (Base form)**

**Otherworld clothes**

**Skills: None**

**Magic: None**

Level one. Just like how the four kings started out. If the books were anything to go by, they had to go on a journey to strengthen their skills, and eventually, once all the waves were cleared, they would probably wind up as powerful as the four kings themselves at the end of their journey. However, they couldn't use any other weapons other than the legendary weapons, they would have to travel alone and find a party of their own.

"Anyway, it's evening, and you should rest," Aultcray told the four heroes "I will find you party members from down in the village. You will begin your journeys tomorrow."

"Thank you, your majesty," all four youths said as they bowed to the king.

They then followed the servants, who led them to their quarters.

…

The room the four heroes had been provided had luxurious beds, and everyone was inspecting their weapons and checking their status screens. They were all checking the weapon book, which was a list of all the forms the legendary weapons could turn into. Currently, it was empty, but they knew the mechanics of the weapons, from continuously reading the books. Certain weapons could be set and improved upon and grow more powerful over time.

"OK, this is the freakiest thing I've ever seen." Naofumi said, closing his status menu "I don't know how, but I've been sucked into a world based on a book."

"Welcome to the club," Motoyasu remarked, his face showing that he was still taking in all the information.

"You too?" Itsuki added.

"I think all of us have been sucked into a book we're familiar with" Ren replied, his face still stoic, but his eyes showing slight wonder in being in the world of his favorite book.

"Yeah, who would have thought I'd wind up in the world of the _Four Heavenly Kings."_ Naofumi said, causing the other three heroes to look at him with a bit of excitement evident in their eyes.

"You're a fan of the _Four Heavenly Kings_ too?" Motoyasu asked Naofumi.

"Wait, you guys too?" Now it was Naofumi's turn to be slightly excited.

"Yeah, I'm a huge fan of Aiko!" Itsuki added.

"Eiji for me." Ren replied

"Hmph, if we're talking best heroes, then it definitely has to be Hitomi!" Motoyasu declared.

"Personally, my favorite has got to be Ichika." Naofumi remarked "He's the main reason I'm a Shielder in _Last Odyssey."_

At this, the other three heroes turned and looked at Naofumi in confusion

_"Last Odyssey?"_ Motoyasu replied.

"Yeah, the game based on the books. Surely you know about it."

"Dude, the game based on the books is called _Emerald Online_." Motoyasu added.

"No, it's a console game called _Dimension Wave."_ Itsuki remarked.

"All three of you are wrong, it's a VRMMO called _Bravestar Online."_ At the mention of VR, all the rest of the heroes turned to Ren in confusion.

"VR game? Like SAO?" Naofumi said.

"What's SAO?" All three other heroes asked Naofumi.

"Wait, you don't know about _Sword Art Online_? It's a pretty popular Light Novel."

"Dude, what are you talking about? No such light novel, nor VRMMOs exist." Motoyasu said with finality in his voice.

"You're wrong," Ren added, "All games are played on VR nowadays."

"OK, OK, now I'm confused." Naofumi remarked "we all are fans of the same book series, but there are different games based on the books, and one is played on futuristic VR. Add to that you guys don't know about SAO, I think a few questions are in order. First, who is the Prime Minister of Japan?"

Soon the questions went, ranging from favorite voice actors, to favorite games, to internet terms and sites. Soon, it became clear to all four heroes that they came from different worlds. Still, something didn't add up to them.

"OK, it seems to me we come from different Japans, that much is certain, but here's one final question. Who is the author of _The Four Heavenly Kings_?

"Tatsuya Suzuki" All four answered, causing more confusion than ever.

"There, that's the thing that doesn't add up." Naofumi then walked around the room "How can we, who come from different realities, know so much about this book series, right down to it being by the same author? It doesn't add up."

"Yeah, that's pretty freaky." Motoyasu added.

"Add to that we're all Otaku, it's becoming even more apparent that us being here wasn't a coincidence." Said Itsuki.

"Though I have a question of my own" everyone turned to Ren "How did we all get here?"

"Well, I was reading in the library, when this guy came up to me, and asked me to help him look for a book. When I found the book, I suddenly read it and blacked out, and wound up here." At this, everyone turned to Naofumi once again, shock evident on their faces "What, you guys too?!"

"Wait, what was the book called?" Motoyasu asked Naofumi.

"_The Record of the Four Holy Weapons._"

"It appears we got here via the same circumstances," Ren then stood up "I was in a police station, giving a statement about a killer who attempted to attack my friend, when the guy who stopped him gave me the same book.'"

"Some pretty hot girl I just met gave me the book too. We were just relaxing in my apartment when she gave it to me."

"Some woman saved me from being run over and gave me the same book."

"I think those people are connected somehow, but why us? Why were we chosen?" Naofumi pondered for a minute. They were just ordinary Otaku, and while they were fans of the _Four Heavenly Kings_, they had no real combat experience with their weapons. They just played them in the games.

"Anyway, we need to discuss what to do in this world." Motoyasu added, causing all four of them to huddle together, and they discussed the geography of the land, where they could go to hunt different monsters and get stronger, though they laid out a plan to visit the other hourglasses in the world. If it was truly like the ones in the _Four Heavenly Kings_, then different waves would happen in different times in the world, so they would need to visit other hourglasses to protect the people from the waves.

"Alright, and that's that!" Naofumi said as he held his fist out in front of him "We'll save this world and be just like the four kings!"

"Alright!" Motoyasu said as he proceeded to fist bump Naofumi.

Soon, the guards called them in for dinner, and Naofumi couldn't believe his eyes. The entire banquet hall looked like something out of a movie, and there was so much food all for them!

"Wait, don't the knights eat as well?" Naofumi asked one of the chefs.

"No, you have the dining hall all to yourselves. Eat to your heart's content."

"Awesome!" Motoyasu and Naofumi said as they high fived each other.

"Wait," Ren said, taking one of the wine glasses and a wine bottle and filling it with the red liquid, "I think we should have a toast."

"That's right!" Itsuki added, taking a glass.

"What do you think, Naofumi?" Motoyasu asked the young man as he took a glass as well.

"Ah, what the hell." Naofumi said, taking the last glass "to us."

"To us." They said before taking sips of the wine. They then began to enjoy their extravagant feast.

Soon, they were full to their heart's content.

"Man, that was one of the best meals I've ever had." Motoyasu said as he rubbed his stomach.

"Ditto," Naofumi added, his voice full of bliss.

"Anyway, we need to get some sleep," Ren said, as he started to walk out the door "Our adventure begins in the morning."

"Right," Itsuki then began to follow Ren "see you tomorrow!"

"Well, gotta hit the sack." Motoyasu then turned to Naofumi "While Hitomi is my favorite, I do like Ichika as well. Always willing to defend his friends despite him not being able to attack, he's the kind of guy one can't help but admire."

"Yeah, it's no wonder they chose him to be their leader." Naofumi added, following Motoyasu out the door. They soon stopped in front of Naofumi's room "Well, good night."

"Good night."

Naofumi then entered the room and laid down on the bed. "You know," he thought "back home, I couldn't get a single girl to look my way, but here, maybe I'll find the one. Well anyway, look out world, here I come!"

He then drifted off to sleep.

…

In an alleyway in the village, four portals opened, and stepping out of them were the four heavenly kings themselves, though their outfits were rather different.

Ichika now wore a green tunic with various pieces of metal adorning his form, in his hand he carried a shield made of meteorite ore. Hitomi was wearing silver armor over a red dress, with a meteorite ore spear. Eiji was now wearing black armor with various blue jewels over them, with a meteorite ore sword, and Aiko was wearing a lightly armored yellow tunic with a meteorite ore bow.

"What do we do now, Ichika?" Asked Hitomi.

"We need to disguise ourselves, which is why I brought these." Ichika then showed the four heroes four domino masks, each one the color of their eyes. "We will disguise ourselves and keep a watch over our successors."

Putting on the masks, they walked out of the alley, and began to walk around the village until they came across a knight with a scroll of paper in his hand in front of a table.

"People needed to join the party of the four cardinal heroes! Any adventurers willing to step up, please do so now!" The knight then repeated his message, looking around for any takers of the offer.

"Looks like we found our guy," Eiji said with a smirk.

"Um, excuse me," Aiko said, catching the knight's attention, "We'd like to join the parties of one of the four cardinal heroes."

Looking at them, the knight narrowed his eyes at Ichika. "We'll take the three of you, but the shield wielder can stay. We have no use for people like him."

"Oh, then I'm afraid we can't take up your offer," Ichika said with a glare that put the knight's to shame "If you cannot accept me, then the rest of my friends cannot accept the deal, and I take it not many people are accepting your offer, are they not?"

"I…" the knight stammered under Ichika's glare, though he quickly countered with a glare of his own.

"Which is a damn shame, as me and my friends are the cream of the crop. We'd love to give you a demonstration of our might, but I'm afraid that upset the local peasantry. So, will you accept us, or will you not?"

The stare off continued for a solid minute, until the knight sighed "Fine, if that's what's gonna make you volunteer, then be my guest. But shielder, you're probably gonna need to find another weapon, not many people take kindly to people who use shields around here."

"Thank you for your understanding," Ichika said "But I assure you, me and my friends will be fine."

"If you say so." The knight then looked at them, "By the way, what's with the masks?"

"I'm afraid that is most confidential." Ichika replied, "but if it makes you feel any better, we'll take them off just for you to prove to you we're not criminals or anything like that." They then took off their masks, and the knight didn't recognize their faces from any wanted posters he had seen.

"OK, just sign here, and you're good to go," the knight then showed them a parchment, as well as a well of ink and a quill. Upon reading it, the four could see that it was a liability waver, specifically saying that it was not the fault of the kingdom nor the heroes should tragedy befall one of them. Taking the quill, all four of them signed the waver, all under fake names of course.

"Good, you're all set and ready to go," the knight then pointed to a nearby Inn." We'll come get you from there in the morning, so get some shut eye and be up bright and early, got it? We won't wait around for you if you're late."

"Oh, yes, thank you good sir." Ichika and the others soon asked for four separate rooms and asked for dinner. The innkeeper then directed them to a table, where they were served lamb chops and wine.

"So Ichika, how does it feel to be back in this world?" Asked Hitomi.

"To be honest, it feels rather…nice." Ichika admitted, taking a sip of his wine. "To be back here, adventuring, it really brings back memories of the good old days."

"I hear ya," Eiji said, taking a bite out of his lamb chops, "Just breathing the air here, it reminds me of back when we first started out as heroes."

"True, it's been a long while since we've been here," Aiko added "I wonder how Fitoria is doing?"

"No doubt she'll be happy to see us again." Ichika said. "For now, I think we should focus on learning more about how much this world has changed over the past few centuries."

"That we should, but for now, I propose a toast." Hitomi then held up her wine glass. "To us."

"To us." The four kings said as they clinked their wine glasses together before taking a sip of the red liquid. Soon they retired to their rooms and promptly fell asleep.

Tomorrow was a big day, after all.


End file.
